Circular
134Coal resources of southern Ute and Ute Mountain Indian reservations,
Colorado and New Mexico

Provides description and evaluation of the coal resources of this
area. The Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservations, in southwestern
Colorado and northwestern New Mexico, are underlain by coal in three formations
of Late Cretaceous age. The Dakota Sandstone contains an estimated 11,733
million tons, the Menefee Formation 13,969 million tons, and the Fruitland
Formation 25,331 million tons. About 471 million tons, mostly Fruitland
coal, is minable by stripping or augering. Water required for the most likely
development of the coal is as much as 18,300 acre feet per year. Some of
the remainder of the coal reserve may be minable eventually, and would require
far greater amounts of water.

This study was undertaken to define the coal
resources belonging to the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes of Indians.
The study considers not only the gross amount of coal available, but also
the distribution of coal including thickness of beds, depth, and other criteria
of mineability. It also considers the chemical and physical characteristics
of the various coal reserve blocks, the amount and quality of water that
might be required for development of the coal resources, and the commercial
potential and marketability of the coal.

The report presents a practical
evaluation of the coal resources. Information from every available source
was compiled. Original exploratory work was done where needed. Coal reserves
and other interpretive matter were then combined to produce the report desired.
Published work was supplemented by measurement of surface geologic sections
where necessary, particularly in the eastern and western extremities of
the study area. Coal beneath the surface was studied primarily through the
use of oil and gas test logs. Some 700 electrical logs, and a number of
older sample descriptions and driller's logs were examined to delineate
the coalbeds penetrated. Unfortunately, such logs are available for only
parts of the coal-bearing areas encompassed by the study; in the remaining
area, surface information alone was used. The study area was part of a larger
examination and evaluation of the strippable coal reserves of the San Juan
Basin. The broad scope of that study did not permit a detailed examination
of Ute lands. The present study represents a considerable refinement with
respect to strippable reserves.